Gate-latch.



No. 748,031. PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903.

- J. R. ABERNATHY.

GATE LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,031, dated December 29, 1903.

' Application filed June 6, 1903. Serial No. 160,391. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES RUBIN ABER- NATHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stranger, in the county of Falls and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gate-latches, and has forits object to provide an improved latch attached to a gate-post and acting to engage and hold an arm projecting from the gate, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a gate provided with my latch, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the gate is indicated at 6 and the post carrying the latch is shown at 7. An arm 8 projects from the free end of the gate in position to be engaged by the catch of the latch.

The latch comprises a support 9, having a catch 10, hinged at 11 to the front end thereof. This catch comprises a piece of metal bent to angular form below the support in the way of the arm 8, and thence looped up and over the support to straddle the same, as indicated at 12. A hand-lever is indicated at 13, pivoted at 14 to. ears projecting from the support, and the end of this lever is hooked through the loop 12, so that the lever operates to either raise or lower the catch. A spring 15, connected to the lever and the gate-post normally lifts the free end of the lever and holds the catch down in front of the arm 8.

Attached to the gate-post below the latch isa fiat spring 16, the free end of which presses behind the arm 8. This spring serves to press the arm against the square portion of the latch, and thereby prevents the gate from rattling. It also serves when the latch is lifted to swing the gate out a short distance.

In operation the gate may be closed by pressing or slamming it with sufiicient force to lift the catch and extend the spring 15 until the arm 8 passes behind the catch. To open the gate, the catch is lifted by the hand-lever and the flat spring 16 by pressure against the arm 8 throws the gate slightly open,so that the arm is under the inclined portion of the catch. Then by quick release of the lever the contraction of the spring 15 snaps the inclined portion of the catch down upon the arm 8, the effect of which is to swing the gate open farther. The gate may thus be opened by one hand or by one foot of a mounted person. This will be'found convenient under various conditions.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination with a gate having a proj ecting arm, of a gate-post,and a latch thereon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES RUBIN ABERNATHY.

Witnesses:

R. D. FORBES, T. W. ARNETT. 

